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Members of the MSUM student senate stage walkout at meeting

MOORHEAD — Several members of Minnesota State University Moorhead's student senate walked out of a meeting Thursday after some members accused others of exhibiting racist and ignorant behavior.

The senate's diversity chair, Lexi Byler, says other members of the student government have made hostile and prejudicial statements in the past few meetings.

Byler says at a meeting several weeks ago, hostility caused several black students who were sitting in on the meeting to walk out.

Other members of the senate disagree, saying it's an issue of miscommunication.

"There's members of our executive board, there's fellow senators making those remarks, which is alarming because all of the senate represents the students," Byler said. "When there's that amount of ignorance displayed, it's alarming."

"There's definitely a lack of communication as a whole that I think happened," says Adam Schutt, vice president-elect. "I do definitely take some blame for that. I think there's blame for both parties."

Members of the senate who walked out all say they want the situation to be handled appropriately and that it hasn't been addressed yet.